The field of the invention generally relates to door handles, and more particularly relates to refrigerator door handles and a method of attaching such handles.
As is well known, refrigerator door handles are commonly made using a conventional extrusion process wherein a material such as aluminum is extruded through a die having a particular cross-sectional shape. The use of extruded door handles has particular advantage when manufacturing refrigerators where product differentiation is important. That is, extruded handles may be advantageous when it is desirable to have different models or brands of refrigerators look differently in a showroom. For example, one beneficial application for extruded handles is for refrigerators built by one manufacturer and sold under another company's name. One important reason for using extruded handles is that it is relatively inexpensive to extrude relatively low quantities of door handles with a variety of different shapes to vary the appearance of refrigerators that are the same or essentially the same.
Typically, a refrigerator door handle is a unitary part having a mounting portion and a grip portion. The mounting portion generally has a flat region that is positioned flush against the face or edge of the refrigerator door. Screws or other suitable fasteners are then used to secure the door handle to the refrigerator door. The screw heads are normally covered by attaching a trim strip. The grip portion is generally offset or spaced from the door so that it can easily be grasped for opening. Because the area where the screws are driven should be inconspicuous but at the same time accessible to a screw driver, there are limitations on the shape or configuration of grip portions that are used. For example, if the grip portion were to extend out and completely cover the mounting portion, it would be inconvenient or impossible to get a screw driver into position to drive screws through the mounting portion. Therefore, door handles of this particular shape and others have not been used because of mounting limitations.